Tony Pritzker donates $20 million to UCLA

Tony Pritzker and his wife, Jeanne, the Los Angeles members of the Chicago-based Pritzker family, have donated $20 million to the University of California at Los Angeles to support environmental research and other causes.

UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability will receive $15 million to establish up to five faculty chairs, including a $5 million endowed Pritzker Distinguished Chair in Environment and Sustainability.

"We are excited to be associated with the world-class institution that is UCLA and to create endowed faculty chairs to help continue attracting top-tier professors — a top fundraising priority for the university," Mr. Pritzker said in a release.

He is the middle child of the late Donald Pritzker. His siblings are U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and venture capitalist J.B. Pritzker.

While his siblings have made Chicago their home, Tony Pritzker, who co-chairs the volunteer steering committee planning UCLA's centennial campaign, remained in California, where he and his siblings grew up.

According to a press release, the Pritzker donation also will endow a center for urban sustainability to research the challenges cities face in becoming more sustainable. The environment institute will become home to the $100,000 Pritzker Sustainability Prize, which will recognize new environmental technologies and initiatives.

The $20 million gift provides a $3 million endowment for grants to UCLA students who are or were in foster care. The endowment will help foster youth focus on their studies by providing funding to cover unexpected financial needs that, for other students, are often paid for by parents or family.

The remainder of the transformative donation goes to UCLA's Hammer Museum, where $2 million will support expanded arts programs for children and families.

"This wide-ranging gift is a powerful expression of how visionary philanthropy can impact diverse areas of our society," UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a release. "The Pritzkers are taking aim at significant societal problems, and UCLA and Los Angeles will benefit enormously from their leadership."

The Pritzkers are heavily involved in a wide range of philanthropic activities. Jeanne Pritzker is known for her work with foster youth, both through the family's foundation and the nonprofit organization she founded, Foster Care Counts. Tony Pritzker long has been a champion of UCLA, where he chairs the board of advisers of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and sits on the board of the Hammer Museum. He also serves on the board of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and actively supports many other community organizations. He is managing partner and co-founder of Pritzker Group, a private-equity firm, and partner of the venture capital firm New World Ventures.

"These are issues that Jeanne and I are passionate about and where UCLA's expertise can make a big impact on Los Angeles," Mr. Pritzker said. "We believe we're investing in more than UCLA — we're investing in improving the whole region."